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In the year 2000, I was invited by a fellow anthropologist to see the Katas Raj. The visit left me so mesmerised that I decided to explore the entire Potohar region. So over the past decade-and-a-half, I have kept travelling back to the region, documenting historic buildings and indigenous tribes, and returning from every visit even more amazed at the specimens of the architectural beauty in this region.

Every time I had a break from studies or official work, I rushed to Gujar Khan, Kallar Syedan, Sagri, Daultala, Sukho, Dora Badhal, Beval, Doberan Kallan, Hazro, Kot Fateh Khan, Qutbal, Harnal or Haryal to visit the wondrous temples, gurdwaras and havelis.

Haveli of Bakhshi Ram Singh at Kontrilla.

Havelis in Narali village.

A View of Atam Singh haveli at Daultala.

The distinctive features of Potohar's havelis have always attracted me.

These havelis belonged to Muslim, Hindu and Sikh notables. The word 'haveli' is of Persian origin, meaning a great mansion associated with wealth, status and size. In architectural terms, the haveli was merely a very grand version of the modern urban house.

A small list of the havelis in the small and big towns of Potohar include the Khem Singh Bedi haveli in Kallar Syedan, Atam Singh Gujral and Jeevan Singh havelis in Daultana town, Sikh and Hindu havelis in Narali, a haveli of Bakhshi Ram in Kontrilla, a haveli of Ratan Singh in Sagri, and several others in Gulyana and Dora Badhal villages.

Inscription in haveli of Bakhshi Ram Singh, Kontrilla.

Front facade of Jeevan Singh haveli in Daultala.

Children looking out from a window in Jeevan Singh haveli.

Haveli of Bakhshi Ram singh at Kontrilla.

Some of the common elements which stood out in all havelis were the 'jharokas', carved wooden doors and wall paintings, reflecting the taste and aesthetics of the builder. One such ornately carved door can be seen in the haveli of Dr Zaman in Basali village, Rawalpindi district.

An old man of Kontrilla who narrated the story of the Bakhshi Ram Singh family.

The jharoka held an important place with both the artist and the owner. These small, enclosed balconies were generally built on the upper floors, and used by both males and females.

Locals, including the present occupant of the havelis told me that the central jharoka was always occupied by male members of the family, while the flanking jharoka was used by the women. Chaudhry Sajjad Hussian, an oral historian in Gujar Khan, explained that the number of windows and jharokas indicated the affluence of the owner.

A window in Atam Singh Gujral haveli in Daultala.

Jharoka in Jeevan Singh haveli in Daultala.

Jharoka in the haveli of Bakhshi Ram Singh.

Then, there are the towers; splendid towers surmounting the top of the havelis. The most beautiful ones I have seen are found in the havelis of Bakhshi Ram at Kontrilla and in a haveli in Wah town. They were designed to offer a panoramic view of the town or village.

Passing through the narrow alleys of Kallar Syedan, one gets to the imposing Khem Singh Bedi haveli, which was turned into a school after Partition. I appreciate that the school staff or students have taken care not to defaced any of the figures decorating the haveli's interior. Most of the haveli's rooms are adorned with paintings depicting the Sikh Gurus, saints, Baba Sri Chand (the eldest son of Guru Nanak and founder of Udasi Panth) and Hindu deities.

View of Khem Singh Bedi Haveli at Kallar Syedan.

A painting inside the Khem Singh Bedi Haveli.

Another painting.

A depiction of the Golden Temple of Amritsar in Khem Singh Bedi Haveli.

Depiction of a Sikh woman.

A Sikh woman looks herself up in the mirror.

Another painting of a Sikh woman.

I often wonder why the government of Punjab is not making serious efforts to promote tourism in the Potohar region; the only known tourist destination in Potohar is Katas Raj.

Like in Rajasthan, where the havelis have been turned into hotels to promote heritage tourism, the Punjab government too should follow the same model and declare all the havelis here as heritage sites. Not only will that promote heritage tourism, it will also create more job opportunities for the wonderful locals of Potohar.

—Photos by author

Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro is an anthropologist and teaches tourism, globalisation and development at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad.

The author is an anthropologist and the head of the Development Studies department at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad, where he teaches anthropology, cultural heritage and tourism. He can be contacted at: zulfi04@hotmail.com

The views expressed by this writer and commenters below do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.

Comments (36) Closed

last commentJun 13, 2015 04:09pm

please preserve all this.

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KhaledJun 13, 2015 04:28pm

Interesting and informative

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What's in the nameJun 13, 2015 04:34pm

Great story/ pictures Dawn!
But :-(
When the people are not treated properly in our country (and converted to dead bodies by militants, different sects, Army) what does the government care about old historical places.
It's total government failure.
Art thrives when there is a peace and prosperity both of those are currently missing in the country.

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ggrgJun 13, 2015 04:34pm

Dire need of preservation and protection of such valuable historic sites.

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hirmJun 13, 2015 04:34pm

What a history and great job Mr Kalhoro.
There are treasures of our past. Hope someone in govt or with help of UN preserve can be preserved easily. These can be used to promote tourism and economical boom to local areas.

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AvtarJun 13, 2015 04:37pm

Like your observations. Just returned from a visit to Germany, near Mannheim. A lot of old homes and towns have been restored. Lower levels are turned to lovely restaurants or shops.
Some have been turned to hotels and/or bed and breakfast places. City folks return for the weekend or holidays to enjoy festivals or having as second homes. A lot of potential indeed in the congested South Asia.

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tamilJun 13, 2015 04:54pm

Multi culture , multi religion , multi ethnicities make a country strong , peaceful and vibrant , unfortunately Pakistan choose the opposite and the results are in front of us.

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SaujatriJun 13, 2015 05:02pm

Great narration and beautiful photographs. Only way to preserve these historical monuments is to make use of them.

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FizJun 13, 2015 05:05pm

What exquisite beauties!! They must be preserved. Not only the archaeology department is responsible but the people living in them should spend money to preserve them.I know that is asking for too much but this is how listed heritage is saved all over the world. We have to contribute our part in preserving them.

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ANIRBAN MITRAJun 13, 2015 05:23pm

this is a really a good documentation. i wish Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro best wishes for further documentation of such heritage sites. publication of such articles will give us for people in India a scope to see such wonderful articles.

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B.AllyJun 13, 2015 05:47pm

You have brought my potohar to limelight. Thank you for showing a grand and gentle face of the otherwise forgotten villages of the then times of Kontrila ,Kaller Khalsa and many more scattered around in oblivion. You have done a great service to our heritage and created an awareness about ,who we are.

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C S Malhotra Jun 13, 2015 06:00pm

Excellent article. Beautiful pictures'. Where are those days when people of all faiths lived together happily and prospered. India's late President Dr. Radhakrishnan once said that multi racial, multi religious , multi lingual society makes for a great country. How right was he proved!!!!!!!!!!!

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AZIZ KHANJun 13, 2015 06:08pm

The government and other concerned org needs to fund research project to document and advertise such rich heritage. If it was other country, they would be earning from it. Secondly, this is much needed and praise worthy work. Showcasing one's cultural heritage. This is what is going around the globe. Tourism is one big industry. What we need is to encourage, facilitate and invest in such endeavours.

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Umer salahuddinJun 13, 2015 06:56pm

These should be preserved.

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MdJun 13, 2015 08:00pm

Wonderful to read about potohar and its rich heritage mostly neglected by us as a people.
Well done.

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MaryamJun 13, 2015 08:23pm

Agree with comments. A great job Mr. Kalhoro. Would be nice to know more about the haveli's owners, their families and local history of those villages.And of course would be fantastic to recover them for a modern use at the same time that could be preserved.

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pathanooJun 13, 2015 08:42pm

Thank You. Pakistan needs ot preserve it's past.

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NaseerJun 13, 2015 10:04pm

Good job!

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AKJun 14, 2015 12:27am

Thanks dawn for publishing this wonderful article. The South East Asia would have been a rich cultural, tourist and economic hub of the world if communal forces were not successful in dividing India 1947. Hindus and Muslims would have lived as brothers and sisters. Now efforts are to be made to unite.

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AyeshaJun 14, 2015 12:30am

Thats my pothowar region

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CheemaJun 14, 2015 04:34am

Unlike India these buildings were deserted and later occupied by local opportunists when the owners moved to India after partition. The same is applicable to the Muslim buildings in India. The current occupants neither have the financial capability nor interest in preserving these buildings. Partition brought good luck to such people.

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harJun 14, 2015 04:57am

Each haveli is worth a fortune. Sooner or later people from East Panjab will be coming as tourists.
Equal important is to know the building material used. It was not iron and cement as we do now.

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Rawna RafazJun 14, 2015 06:09am

Good piece. Keep exploring and keep writing.

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ritaJun 14, 2015 06:18am

This article is beautiful. I am amazed at the paintings. It is sad that there is no value and hence preservation efforts. Appreciate your bringing these beautiful havelis to us through your article.

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FerozQJun 14, 2015 06:37am

Unbelievable!!! Such magnificent places in the Punjab. These places have such richness - in additional to the historic value (unfortunately crumbling due to neglect) that the Government of Pakistan should declare these places national heritage (if UNESCO doesn't beat them to make these a World Heritage) and do all it can to preserve these. Places like these once gone never come back.

Thank you Mr. Kalhoro for all your work and for bringing this to the readers of Dawn. On a trip from Lahore to Islamabad, I was in Kalar Kahar (Katas Raj) as recent as 6 months ago, but I had no clue about other wonders found in that regions.

One note: I was told by my guide that Katas Raj was in a state of neglect and it was Military Dictator Musharraf that worked on it's preservation.

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Madan Jun 14, 2015 07:04am

I have visited Katas Raj in the Potohar region as a child on the Baisakhi celebration mela some time in early forties and its memory is still fresh in my mind and heart.The havelies represent spectacles of life of rich Hindu and Sikh families.The male members of these rich families used to go abroad for different kinds of commerce and with the money they earned then would go into the construction of these havelies.This region was and still is famous for military duties in the army.Beside these vocations,the river Jhelum is a major factor in the perennial supply of water to the otherwise very fertile land.The prosperity in the region was and still is testament to the fact that there is not a trace of terrorism in this part of the Punjab province of Pakistan and can therefore be developed as a tourist attraction.

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shivadityaJun 14, 2015 07:49am

It is a beautiful input from Zulfiqar Ali Kalharo.
It is specially significant as the countries of the subcontinent - Pakistan, India and Bangladesh - are threatened by the domination of majoritarian cultures. Yet there is presence of beautiful minds trying to restore the plurality and defend the space of the minorities in all these countries. Kalhoro is certainly one prominent among them.
My gratitude both to him and to you for publishing this article.

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Tarun Tapas mukherjeeJun 14, 2015 08:42am

Awesome post Zulfiqar. For the few years you have been doing excellent works in exploring the cultural heritage of Pakistan. You are a broad-minded person and future expects much more from you. Best wishes

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Zafar Iqbal Raheem.Jun 14, 2015 08:52am

Dear Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro I leave in Murree you have done a great job i like your work and God bless you.
Zafar Iqbal Raheem
Reporter Samaa Tv.

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iqbalJun 14, 2015 08:56am

appreciate author efforts of letting us know our hidden treasures.

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ObserverJun 14, 2015 09:57am

Appreciate the author, Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro's effort at bringing these magnificent heritage Havelis to light.
Indeed I would urge the Government to repair and maintain these buildings and exploit their potential to develop a tourism industry in the locale.

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Khalid PathanJun 14, 2015 11:48am

Salute to efforts of Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro on bringing to light the past glory of Potohar. The present government will do every thing possible to restore these haveli's as hotels for tourism provided anyone could show them the potential of milking away the booty in guise of restoration.

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Ibrar AhmedJun 14, 2015 12:10pm

WonWonderful work in wilderness of Pakistan.
Beautiful country beautiful heritage ruined by politics of bad peoples bad policy no knowledge no interest in the country uneducated dirty rich ediots.

they're not politicians they are businessman only.

For God sake people elect and bring real and smart politicians who can make good policy for the country.

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SUNILJun 14, 2015 12:34pm

The havelis look run down and paintings, though brilliant,appear damaged.

Proper restoration will be necessary if heritage tourism is planned

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Tariq AmirJun 14, 2015 01:50pm

Besides these wonderful havelis, there are many abandoned historical Sikh Gurdwaras, many of them are still in a good condition. All these should be renovated and should be used to promote tourism in Punjab.

Just tapping the potential of Sikh cultural / religious tourism, we can earn billions of dollars. Focus on the large population of Sikhs on our doorsteps and we can do wonders in promoting tourism in Pakistan.

I my self have visited many such places and with a little effort, many of them can still be preserved.

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SourabhJun 14, 2015 02:36pm

I urge to the Government of Punjab and Pakistan to preserve these Havelis. Looking at the pics myself went back by 100 years with sarod and tabla playing on my ears. Thanks Mr Kalhoro to these share heritage pics. Our sub-continent is the richest place on earth.